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Summer Institute on Biological Approaches in the Social Sciences (SIBASS)

Summer Institute on Biological Approaches in the Social Sciences (SIBASS)

Overview

The co-organizers and principal faculty are Greg Miller, Thomas McDade, and Emma Adam (Northwestern University). The first summer institute will take place at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (adjacent to Chicago) from June 10 to 14, 2019. The program accepts about 30 participants.

The workshop will consist of a week-long series of didactic lectures, small-group breakout sessions, and hands-on laboratory exercises. Attendees will (1) develop an understanding of the conceptual basis for integrating the social and biological sciences, (2) become acquainted with the basic units of biology – genes, cells, and organs – and how they function, (3) learn basic physiology of the nervous, autonomic, endocrine, cardiometabolic, and immune systems, and (4) gain familiarity with methods used to measure and analyze human biological processes, and critically evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

This Institute is intended to provide broad training in human biological systems, with the goal of helping attendees conduct in-depth process research linking social context, biology, and human capital. This focus is distinct from RSF’s Summer Institute on Social Science Genomics, which is devoted more specifically to theories, methods, and statistical expertise required to integrate genetics into social science research.

Eligibility

The target audience is post-doctoral fellows and untenured faculty within 10 years of the Ph.D., although we are open to applications from advanced doctoral students. There are no restrictions based on citizenship, country of study, or country of employment.

Priority will be given to candidates whose applications demonstrate (1) research excellence that is appropriate to their career stage, (2) a serious commitment to launching a biosocial research program, which (3) dovetails with RSF research priorities in Social Inequality, Behavioral Economics, Future of Work, and Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration.

Apply

All application instructions and requirements are listed in the PDF annoucement (located on the main Summer Institutes webpage).